The salary cap is officially set at $279.2 million, which means the Cardinals have more than $76 million of space heading into free agency.

There is apparently at least one media member trying to downplay the amount of flexibility Arizona has as the March 10 tampering period looms, so let’s put that to rest.

The Cardinals are fourth in the NFL in effective cap space with $72.6 million, which accounts for the projected cap hits of the draft class. This includes the extensions for Budda Baker and James Conner, two longtime stars who are among the more expensive players on the team.

If you scan the roster, there are really only four positions — guard, wide receiver, edge rusher and defensive tackle — that need to be addressed in a major way.

And with the way the salary cap can be manipulated, GM Monti Ossenfort has all sorts of room to operate.

If anyone tries to spin this narrative, please don’t fall for it. The Cardinals have a ton of cap room and can restructure Kyler for $15M more in a heartbeat if they so choose. If AZ isn’t aggressive this offseason, it’s simply the owner choosing his pockets over the product. https://t.co/yoPlUG1rmM

— Kyle Odegard (@Kyle_Odegard) February 24, 2025

While there is often sticker shock on the massive deals in free agency, the Year 1 cap hits are always quite low.

Christian Wilkins, for example, signed a contract with the Raiders last year averaging $27 million per year, and his 2024 cap hit was $10 million. Jonathan Greenard signed for $19 million per year with the Vikings and had a cap hit of $5.74 million.

Greenard is a good example, because Josh Sweat and Milton Williams could reportedly sign a contract in that ballpark, which goes to show the Cardinals can be in play for literally any major player in free agency, and can easily add two or three big-name talents without hitting a cap crunch.

There is the future to think about, of course, but Ossenfort took two whole years to clean up the cap situation in Arizona — he let DeAndre Hopkins, Byron Murphy, Zach Allen and others walk without replacing them — and except for the horrid Bilal Nichols and Justin Jones deals, the cap looks quite sparkly.

The bottom line? There is no excuse for the Cardinals to sit back at the start of free agency like they have done the past two years.

While last season had its share of turbulence, the Cardinals remain on the right trajectory heading into 2025. They finished with a plus-21 point-differential in 2024 and were No. 12 in DVOA, which makes the jump to contender status this season a realistic goal.

Ossenfort surely knows this, so if the Cardinals aren’t aggressive when the new league year begins, whether that be via free agency or trade, the finger should be pointed at owner Michael Bidwill.

He controls the purse strings, and the salary cap space doesn’t mean a lot if Ossenfort is limited by an owner-mandated budget.

There is always chatter about Bidwill having less liquidity than other owners, which is true since he was born into ownership and didn’t make his money as a businessman, but this is a champagne problem.

Billionaires can get cash with a snap of their finger by leveraging their assets, so any self-imposed spending limits this offseason will be just that — self-imposed.

Bidwill’s image may be at an all-time low.

He is dealing with lawsuits from ex-employees seemingly on a yearly basis, has consistently failed to field a winning product, and was torched again this week for finishing dead last among NFL teams in the Players’ Association’s report cards.

The best way to change public opinion is to win games, but the Cardinals will again be competing with one hand tied behind their back if Bidwill refuses to spend to Ossenfort’s desires.

A generous two-year runway for a rebuild was given, but that’s over now. The Cardinals are closer than some think to being a true player in the NFC, but they need reinforcements.

Will they be bold, or will it be another year of improving around the margins?

The fanbase has been patient, but it’s playoffs or bust in 2025.

If the Cardinals can’t field a winner after two years of methodical preparation, there will be little reason to believe this franchise will ever escape its bottom-feeding ways.